Government alarms, urges clean-up drive against Dengue

On Wednesday, The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) urged local officials to cooperate in clean-up drives to clean environment and remove mosquitoes’ breeding areas due to the epidemic spread of dengue virus in Philippines.

In province of Zamboanga Sibugay, Governor Wilter Yap Palma said that at least 12 infected people were killed by dengue. Palma has declared state of calamity after a resolution passed to prevent the species.

In another province, Governor Arthur Defensor of Iloilo said that the province is eyeing for the declaration of state of calamity because of 1051 patients treating with dengue in 12 district hospitals, which is dealing with lacking of medicines, manpower and hospital spaces.

A total of monthly report of the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) from January 1 to June 29, 456 are killed in dengue which increased 85% higher than in 2018 that has 317 deaths caused by dengue; as of Saturday, Philippines Disaster Risk Reduction Management reported that about 25,772 cases has been recorded in Visayas; DOH recorded 106,630 cases nationwide.

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported the provinces of Antique and Guimaras have declared an outbreak. The organization says that the Region II, IVA, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, II, BARMM and NCR are most affected regions.

Dengue is a transmitted virus caused by an aedes mosquito that has no specific medicine to treat infected people. Symptoms usually begin four up to ten days resulting to several illness such as Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever. However, it can be prevented.

Philippine local government Secretary Eduardo M. Año urges local officials to maintain cleanliness as well as removing the mosquitoes’ breeding liquids. He also remarks that officials should not allow to undermine communities by infectious insects.

On Monday, Department of Health (DOH) declared a nationwide dengue alert. and warned of possible spread of another deadly disease, leptospirosis, due to continuous heavy rains caused by tropical storm Falcon.